Lance R. Blyth, command historian of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), joins School of War to discuss the evolution of North America’s air defense. How has NORAD adapted to shifting threats over the decades? Are today’s threats manageable? Are we in a new Cold War? And what can the command, with operations deep inside a Colorado mountain, teach us about defending the continent in an era of renewed great-power competition?
Times:
02:04 History of NORAD
07:02 Threats of the 1950s
13:50 Sensors, effectors, and connectors
15:15 Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE)
19:45 SABRE travel system
21:14 Aerospace missile warning systems
22:07 Cheyenne Mountain Complex
24:13 NORAD in films
27:56 False missile launches
31:31 Adapting to new threats
34:23 New joint surveillance system
35:19 Importance of Canada
36:21 September 11
40:21 Operation Noble Eagle
43:00 Today’s threats
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